Marc Skinner press conference: Alessia Russo injury update; WSL momentum; Man Utd targets
Manchester United are quickly back in WSL action again on Sunday when they travel to the King Power Stadium to face a Leicester side bottom of the table and point-less after four games.
United have been in exceptional form so far this season, with three wins from three, 10 goals and none conceded enough to lead the current standings on goal difference ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea, the latter having also played a game more.
Marc Skinner’s team will be heavy favourites for victory again and he spoke to the media on Wednesday to preview the games, discussing team news, momentum, squad depth and more.
Team news vs Leicester
Latest on Alessia Russo, Grace Clinton & Hannah Blundell
“Alessia is still the same…probably two to three weeks away. She’s still training back on the field and everything is progressing nicely. [She will] probably start team training in two or three weeks and then she’ll be in contention.
“Grace Clinton won’t be available [but] is back on the grass training as well, which is good.
“Hannah [Blundell] is back in in individual training. It was more precautionary on the weekend. She felt something so it was important that we don’t overdo that.”
What stage is Ona Batlle at in the concussion protocol?
“Ona is better on her SCAT testing. We’re just making sure that she is healthy and safe. Every day she is getting a little bit better, so obviously we’ll follow the protocol that is needed and we’re looking after her with a full-time doctor so she gets care all the time.
“There will be no risk with Ona, but she is progressing nicely every day so we’ll see towards the game at the weekend [if she can play].”
Away form
How do you translate excellent home form to away matches?
“I don’t think it changes too much [for an away match]. If you look at this season, last season was a different kind of situation. We wanted to recruit in summer so we could adapt and find different ways to beat a different opponent.
“When we play Leicester this weekend, I think the biggest thing for us is not taking Leicester lightly. There’s no way. Complacency can be a real beast for any team that has aspirations of being successful. I’ve got to make sure that we don’t get complacent at any point. I have nothing but respect for every team in this league so there is no way that we will ever do that.
“We’ve just to make sure we select the right, focus the right way and we’ve already started today on ways that we can beat Leicester. But the one thing we won’t do is taking anything lightly and we have to be at our very best again to beat a Leicester team at a great stadium.
“We’re going to find ways to make sure we stave off any complacency.”
Squad leaders
Who are the four players in your senior leadership group?
“Katie Zelem, Aoife Mannion, Hayley Ladd and Ona Batlle. Those are four different styles of leadership that give us a breadth across our team in order to make sure every player has a voice.”
Leicester
What do you make of Leicester this season?
“It’s difficult because when Lydia [Bedford] went there, she had to turn around a team that wasn’t necessarily hers. We’ve obviously loaned Carrie [Jones] there, who won’t be able to play against us at the weekend, but we wouldn’t have done that if we didn’t feel that Leicester was a great place that people could keep progressing and get better.
“For us, I would imagine they think it’s been a tough start. When I watched the game against [Aston] Villa, it was a game of literally two halves and the old cliché. [They have] lots of quality, I think they’re just trying to get it to piece together. They have clear threats for which we have to make sure that we can control what we can to stop them having those. There is nothing we’ll take lightly.
“We have got to be at our very best in every game. There’s a short amount of games in this season and it’s easy to get up for what people say are the bigger games. But, for us, this is a big game. We’re going away, we’ve got great home form and now we need to make sure we translate that to away games. We’ll be taking [Leicester] with the utmost respect that they deserve.”
Early momentum
What do you put a great start to the season down to?
“Continued growth and team cohesion. I think we’re growing in experience, which is what we needed. There were moments last year when we were exceptional, like really, really great, and it is [about achieving] consistency.
“What the additions to the squad have allowed us to do is find different ways to score goals. The most impressive stat for me is the different amount of goalscorers we have. That shows we’re a team – we’ve got exceptional individuals – but we want to be a team and help each other. That’s going to be the difference. It’s a good start, but that is really all it is.
“We’ve got to make sure we stay grounded and do the best in every game, which again starts against Leicester this weekend.”
Chelsea, Arsenal & Man City on the horizon
How important are games against Leicester & Everton to prepare for bigger tests?
“If you know me already from all the work that we’ve done in the last year, you know that we don’t take anything lightly. We know Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City are on the horizon.
“But I’ve always said that we go game by game, so it would be unprofessional of us to take our eyes of anything Leicester can do to us…we know they can hurt us, have players in their front line that can really do damage and score from set-pieces. We know all they are waiting for is probably just a little break and a little bit of fortune and they’ll get the results they want.
“We know this league and it’s unforgiven if you drop points so we have to focus and stay zoned in on each game. We’ve got a three-game week – Everton [on 30 October] won’t be an easy game anyway and I’ve been really impressed with their stye.
“We’re hopefully building up into what we want to achieve. But I promise you now, we will leave no stone unturned in our preparation for what we want to achieve. I said after the [Brighton] game, although we won 4-0, I wasn’t happy with our second half. Once you have those standards you can always see past the emotion of complacency and that’s we must do for this [Leicester] game.”
Top of the WSL
How much job satisfaction are you feeling looking at the WSL table?
“I love every day actually working with players and seeing what you do. Whenever you’re in a profession like this you probably see it as your artwork and you’re trying to produce the best that you can. The players, although we’ve started well, I think we can do better.
“I just love working with players and finding the balance in our team, what works, what doesn’t work. I think it’s almost like that intrigues you every day that you know your job is never done. Our job can never be done…things changes, teams get better, they have a brilliant day, they don’t have a brilliant day…you’ve got to maximise everything.
“There are that many plates spinning that when you’re winning it’s great. But I think the way you keep your ego in check is getting down to work every day and that’s what I enjoy. I’m enjoying it, not just because of the results, but I can see the players trying to put the plans and do what we want.
“Do you know what the best thing is? Sometimes players do things that are just brilliant and that’s the thing catches you off guard as a coach. I love that. Whether it’s an opponent or one of our players, it’s the unknown and excitement that keeps you buzzing each game.
Champions League & trophies
What are your targets for this season?
“It's sounds pretty boring, but if we take our focus off Leicester we’re not going to win the game. We’ve got to maximise as many points as possible.
“Our aim is Champions League, there is no way around that. But I think if we just set that, we limit ourselves. The reason we go [game by game] is so we can maximise the plan for every game.
“We all know if you do that in every game and maximise the points against the teams around you, you have a great chance of finishing in the dreamland of winning things.
“Our aim is to win things here.”
Squad depth
How satisfied are you with your array of forwards?
“I’m really happy with the variety of people we have, the qualities that they bring.
“What we have now is if we need to play direct, we have forwards who can score with aerial threat. We have ability to run behind, to come in front of lines to disjoint defences. We can score from set-pieces. I would like our forwards to have that ownership in big moments when you play against that only give you a few chances – that’s the next test for us, being ruthless in those moments.
“But I’m happy with the variety of qualities but also in their personalities. That’s the whole reason we went into the market like we did, to be able to score goals. So far, 10 in three in the league is really good. But we need to keep everybody on their toes and progressing and that will be a fine balancing act for me as we go throughout the season.
How do you keep everyone happy in a bigger squad?
“It’s always easier when you’re winning because everyone wants to be part of a winning team. It’s not easy and it will never be easy…and it shouldn’t be easy because that’s not how the job is. You’re dealing with people that have aspirations and emotions, so I think it’s trying to share the plan with them.
“Once you work in process, so for the players on the training field, can you maximise the potential you have? Show me your qualities. They are all different.
“Against Brighton, for example, when they had a back five, you need to disjoint that back five by coming in front first, which then creates spaces that you saw us exploit. We exploited by Leah [Galton] coming on the inside because we’d disjointed the central centre-half.
“We have different ways in which we can do that by rotating Ella [Toone] and Leah…it allowed us to isolate their wing-back and that’s where we got our goals from. Nikita [Parris’] movement was brilliant in the front line. We need to run beyond the line and can have Martha [Thomas] or Adriana [Leon] if we want one-v-one situations.
“They all add something different and I think it’s important that I help them try and see in the game plan what’s needed for us all to be successful. That’s a delicate balance and, honestly, I’ll get it right sometimes and wrong sometimes. It’s having that ownership in front of the players and the vulnerability that allows them to be part of the journey and understand their place within the team.”
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